Italian political militant at large for years extradited from Bolivia/Brazil to Rome

Cesare Battisti, 64, is wanted for four murders in Italy during the 1970s, which denies committing. He belonged to the Armed Proletarians for Communism

Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini confirmed that Battisti had been handed over to Italian authorities and a chartered plane had departed from Bolivia.

An Italian former communist militant captured in Bolivia is on a plane back to Rome, officials have confirmed. Cesare Battisti, 64, is wanted for four murders in Italy during the 1970s, which he denies committing. He was extradited after being found in Santa Cruz de La Sierra in an international police operation.

After escaping from prison in Italy, Battisti lived for years in Brazil but vanished after an arrest warrant was issued last month. Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini confirmed that Battisti had been handed over to Italian authorities and a chartered plane had departed from Bolivia.

The plane carrying Cesare Battisti has just taken off headed for Italy. I am proud and moved, he tweeted. Battisti is expected to arrive in Rome on Monday afternoon.

In a message on Facebook ahead of Battisti's extradition, Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said: We are satisfied with this result that our country has been awaiting for too many years.

He thanked the Bolivian authorities and singled out Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for his effective co-operation that led to Battisti's capture. The Brazilian leader, who took office on 1 January, had pledged to extradite Battisti.

Battisti was arrested by a special Interpol team on Saturday around 17:00 (21:00 GMT) on a street of the central Bolivian city of Santa Cruz. He was alone, wearing sunglasses and a fake beard, according to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.

He did not resist or try to escape. Bolivian Interior Minister Carlos Romero said Battisti had entered Bolivia illegally. Italian police published a video on Twitter that purports to show him moments before his arrest.
Battisti spent years in Brazil as a refugee, with the support of former left-wing presidents Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff. But President Michel Temer, revoked his status as a permanent resident in December, when an arrest warrant was issued.

In 1979, Battisti was convicted of belonging to a far-left terrorist group outlawed in Italy - the Armed Proletarians for Communism (PAC). He escaped from prison in 1981. Later, he was convicted in absentia for killing two Italian law officials, for taking part in a separate murder, and for planning another which left the victim's 14-year-old son in a wheelchair after a shoot-out.

Battisti has admitted being part of the PAC but denies responsibility for the murders. Since his escape, he has gone on to became a successful writer of police novels. Battisti lived in France and Mexico before escaping to Brazil to avoid being extradited. He was arrested by Brazilian authorities in 2007, prompting the Italian government to request his extradition under an existing bilateral treaty.

But Brazil's then President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva granted Battisti refugee status in 2010, a move that drew strong criticism from Italy.